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Apologies if there's been discussion of this before, but if there has been I haven't seen it. I want to spend more time outdoors doing camping, hiking, etc., and I therefore need a good, quality raincoat. I'd like to get one that looks good, not the horrible ponchos that make people look like plastic land slugs, and I'd like it to be full-length (I'm a 6'3'' male, and most rain jackets leave me with a dry torso and soaked legs). I'd like it to be fairly lightweight, but with a fair amoutn of style, and suitable for summer/fall wear (though if I can put it on over a winter parka and still have it look good, that's a plus). Another plus would probably be compactability -- if it folds up into a pocket or pouch that I can stow away, that'd be great also. Basically up till now I've just been getting by on normal jackets and/or umbrellas; i have one old London Fog raincoat that I wore for years, but it's 40+ years old now (multi-generation hand me down) and is literally coming apart at the seams, so I need something new. I've also got a dress topcoat I wear over my "nice" clothes, but I don't want to wear that out into the Wild. Any suggestions? Thanks! Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at Nov 08, 2009 around 06:03 |
| # ? Nov 08, 2009 05:47 |
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| # ? Nov 22, 2009 01:46 |
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You won't find one raincoat to do all that. The reason ponchos are good for camping is that they fold up small, are lightweight, can be stuffed into a knapsack outer pocket, will fit over a backpack on your back, can also be used as ground cover or tarp. And I can't think of anything loose enough to fit over a parka that will look stylish when worn without a parka. A knee-length raincoat is a bad idea for camping and hiking anyway; your pants below the knee will get wet, and it will make walking over muddy terrain difficult. What you should be looking at is a rain jacket and rain pants combination. Not telling you to shop at MEC but this page illustrates what I'm talking about - the Yoho, Monsoon, Hydrofoil and Truant jackets, and similar-styled pants: http://www.mec.ca/Search/search.jsp...CFcZM5QodoUaupw Binary Logic fucked around with this message at Nov 08, 2009 around 12:39 |
| # ? Nov 08, 2009 12:18 |
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Thanks for the link. If I can't get one thing that will do all that, what brands/types of things might present the best compromises? Are there any ponchos or rain jacket/pants combos that don't look like rear end?
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 14:06 |
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Thanks for the link. If I can't get one thing that will do all that, what brands/types of things might present the best compromises?  Only yesterday I was in a conversation with a couple of women and one of them told me I have no fashion sense - and I agreed with her - so I don't think I can help you. Having said that, you could check Eddie Bauer, they have some stylish outdoor wear. It's well made although I think it's all overpriced and only bought from Eddie Bauer when I had a discount deal from work. Another option is to look at snowboard outerwear, there is a huge range of styles and colour combinations. I saw a pretty good Burton 'Poacher' jacket that I might buy, but it's probably too heavy for what you want. Burton designs range from solid colours to contrasting colours to crazy graphics, and there are a lot of other manufacturers with their own designs. IMO you can't go wrong with black rain pants; and when out on a trail and it's cold and raining, I put function over fashion. And a poncho's always going to look like a poncho, there's only one guy I can think of who looked okay in one.  Binary Logic fucked around with this message at Nov 08, 2009 around 16:14 |
| # ? Nov 08, 2009 16:10 |
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I'd just get a nice winter jacket that's water proof and combine it with water proof pants. Look for stuff thats 10K waterproof tested AND has taped/sealed seams... the waterproofing won't do anything if the seams/zippers/etc aren't taped or sealed! e: also this: Binary Logic posted:Are you going hiking or on a photo shoot As long as you're dry, who cares? chomper fucked around with this message at Nov 08, 2009 around 17:26 |
| # ? Nov 08, 2009 17:24 |
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I am personally a big fan of Columbia Sportswear, and Patagonia, and North Face. But there are tons of great jacket makers out there. Look for function first, then try to find that style with the looks you are going for. There is a reason we had ponchos in the army.
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| # ? Nov 08, 2009 18:02 |
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chomper posted:
Lookin' good always matters :P Yeah, it's not a big deal either way, but if I'm going to spend the money, I'd rather spend it for something I like to look at. Maybe I should just get a replica Clint Eastwood movie poncho :P
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| # ? Nov 09, 2009 15:11 |
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No you really just want something thin and plastic. It looks crappy and unprofessional but it's lightweight and doesn't allow any moisture through. A big wool blanket gets heavy and useless when it's wet.
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| # ? Nov 09, 2009 22:28 |
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